internet, they are going to find value with it and use it and be productive with it every day. and half of the city's population that's in the other boat is disconnected from all that potential prosperity. >> we really need to promote content and provide applications that are really relevant to people's lives here. so a lot of the inspiration, especially among the immigrant community, we see is communications with people from their home country but we as much want to use the internet as a tool for people to connect within the local san francisco community. >> i think it's our job as public educators to give them this access and give them this opportunity to see that their efforts are being appreciated beyond their immediate reach. >> you have to blend this idea of community network with computer equipment with training and with support. we can pull all that together, then we've got it. >> it's as much about social and economic justice -- in fact it's more about social and

economic justice than just ♪ ♪ >> it all began some 20 years ago when president bush signed the landmark legislation establishing a framework for legal protections and rights to be advanced for those with disabilities. the americans with disabilities act is celebrating its 20th anniversary today, july 26, 2010. it is extraordinary how far we've come. it is equally extraordinary how far we need to go. i want to underscore that we

understand that. we understand we are not there yet. we understand there is still discrimination in the workplace. we recognize there are still accessibility issues on our own streets and sidewalks. there are even accessibility issues in our own san francisco board of supervisors' chambers that have still not been made completely accessible. >> so much of the disability rights movement began the bay area. people seem to forget this. ed roberts in 1962 made international news when the headlines wrote this. it is remarkable. it shows how long ago it was. "cripple got into berkley." those were the headlines. someone with a disability was referred to as crippled back then. he was admitted to the university across the bay. as a consequence, he led the movement for disability rights. that was in 1962.

in 1977, the movement really took shape just a stone's throw away in united nations plaza in san francisco. over 100 people assembled and did a set in. they denied access to city buildings. it was the longest sit in in the history of the rights movement. it was through that collective effort and the collective wisdom of those assembled and the leadership of ed roberts that the disability rights movement was born in a formal sense. it brought to the forefront nationally people of all political ideologies to come together. thousands of people assembled when president bush signed the legislation 20 years ago today. i want to celebrate that milestone. i want to it knowledge -- acknowledge those for their

wor. it is a fundamental thing that needs to be advanced for those with mobility issues as well as physical challenges. all of us are equal. all of us should be given the same god-given right of full access, full participation, full legal rights. at the end of the day, that is what we're celebrating, the unique construct that is so american, that we're all in this together. happy anniversary. speaking of anniversaries, happy anniversary to my wife. it is our second anniversary. she is out of the country. i cannot celebrate it with her. i will celebrate it to my weekly video. happy anniversary. i love you. let me sell. a few other milestones. -- let me celebrate a few other

milestones. we announced the highest on-time performance at muni in our history. i know you were thinking it cannot be true. it was true. 75%. the bar is low, i admit that. 75% is the highest ever reported in a quarterly basis. we're going to follow that up with information about the final quarter. we do not think it will be as good but it will be more than 70%. that will formally make this year the most successful year in muni's history for on-time performance. i was the author with the then mayor brown of the proposition where we set the goal of 80%. until we get there, enough never ends. i want to knowledge --

acknowlege a job well done. they were also celebrating report from the federal highway administration, the transit administration. they came out with an independent review. they do this every three years. it was an independent audit. they look at 24 criteria within the public transportation realm in terms of operation, maintenance, security, capital planning, and the like. they had a 90% score for muni. that is very significant. anything more than 80% is abnormal of sorts. that means not all of the agencies score as well as that. i want to acknowledge the mta for a job well done. there were three deficiencies of the 24 targets. two of those by the time the report was done have been

completed. here is the one we still need to address. i want to promote this. this is one of the things they highlighted the we are now promoting. if you are on medicare, you are eligible for discounts on fares. we are supposed to be doing and will be doing this, we are supposed to put that on all of the bus stops and the bus shelters. we're doing all of these new shelters in the city. they are finally coming out. a lot of them have solar rif oofs, recycled materials, new technology in terms of the information you need been ready. you can be more likely to use public transit because you know when the next bus will be coming. the new shelters also require this information to be placed on those shelters.

i encourage all of you who are on medicare to take advantage of this. if you want to learn more, call 311. that is good news. any time i bring of good news, i get a roster with e-mails. we are working our tails off. we're never giving up on the goal of 85%. we want to reduce accidents and crime. a couple of weeks back, we had very good crime numbers. there was a 50% and + declined in terms of the cry on the key hot spots because -- there was a 50% and more decline in terms of the crime on the key hot spots. the muni drivers participated in the wage concession.

we're making progress. we're rolling back the reductions in service by 50%. that is in agreement with the board of supervisors for the transportation authority. we are committed to getting rid of all of the reductions by this time next year. we will be shortly announcing a framework and planned to get there. we cannot guarantee it. there is still all lot of state funding issues that need to be addressed. we will work our tail off to get there. this is good news. it is good news and a difficult environment. i thought it was important to highlight that. other good news of sorts, is qualified good news. it is an extraordinary event. i have been privileged and blessed to be year and representing the city in some fashion. rarely have i experienced a more rewarding and extraordinary event than the one last week at city hall where over 1000 people

came down to city hall all with jobs, with children, all in peril of losing their jobs if we do not get an extension of the jobs now program we created in the city. more than 6000 individuals have the dignity of work and a paycheck. they reminded us when they got to talk about their history and life. it is the dignity that comes from looking your child in the eye because you are able to come home with a paycheck because you worked that day. >> after being unemployed for what seemed an eternity, the program and give me a new sense of being. i felt like myself again. my kids seemed happier and even told me they were proud of me because i never give up. >> it is pretty extraordinary and significant what we have been able to accomplish with the jobs now program. it is in peril. expires september 30 this year. because of the incredible

leadership of speaker pelosi, the house of representatives committed an extension to the program nationwide. the senate has slowed down the process. we're going to have to put pressure on the u.s. senate. they finally extended unemployment benefits but did not extend the program where you do not need to sit at home waiting for a check. you can actually go to work, create economic output, and receive a check because you worked. it is remarkable that we would do one without doing the other. that is the point we will be making to our friends in congress over the august recess in the hopes that we can get this back into the mix and get it on the president's desk to sign. we're not giving up on the program. we want to put a human face on this and tell the story. the story is compelling and extraordinary. when you consider that over 80% of the people employed are

minorities, the overwhelming majority come from bayview hunters point. 1500 african americans that have job. people throughout the diverse communities of this city, mission, a chinatown area, richmond. it is an extraordinary thing throughout the city with people being employed, doing great work, and deserving paychecks they have earned and supporting the private sector through private-based employment. it is something to really celebrate. it was a milestone getting people here. the real milestone is getting the senate to recognize the work and extend this extraordinarily important program. a quick final point. 3,620 people represents under 1% of the unemployment rate in the city. 1/10 of those are unemployed and

would be employed if the program is extended because of the federal stimulus program. it is an extraordinary number. we have roughly 40,000 people out of work. these 3600 people would be added to the role of the unemployed. that would put our unemployment rate north of 10%. we've been able to keep it in single digits. this is one of the reasons. for those of you are cynical about the federal stimulus programs, this is real work for real people in the private sector. thousands of real jobs. these are real federal dollars helping real people, helping private sector businesses, creating real economic benefit and stimulus. jobs now, a lot of work. we will keep the faith and keep working hard into the future. i wanted to make a couple of other comments. without the first reading them on the budget. we have one more reading this week. -- we got the first reading down on the budget.

we have one more meeting this week. i want to talk more about the budget when we get the final vote passed. i wanted to take a moment and talk about another vote it was very significant that happened last week. the board of supervisors finally supported the environmental work done by the planning commission and redevelopment agency and others to support the hunters point plant. this was an initiative began many years ago. it has received hundreds of millions of dollars of federal appropriations to clean up the shipyard. over half a billion dollars since i have been there that we have been able to put together to clean up the shipyard site with the issue of environmental justice. i hope to make an announcement soon about shutting down the plant once and for all within a time line on that. this is the effort to revitalize the area in a positive sense, not just cleaning up.

we will complete revitalize it. it will create anywhere from 12,000 direct jobs to as many as 25,000 jobs when you add up direct and indirect jobs. $11 billion increase to the property tax base in the city. up to $6.6 billion increase in our annual gross product for the city. this comes along once in a lifetime. nothing we have done in this administration is more important to me than this in terms of the proverbial blood, sweat, and tears of those in city government to of worked their tails off. all of the stewards of this, all of the leaders in the community who put everything they have been to the effort. we are finally here with one vote to go. that is on the actual plan. it looks very promising.

what does it mean? 10,500 new units of housing. 32% of them affordable. tens of thousands of jobs as i mentioned. in addition to that, 2.5 million square feet of commercial space in the green tag and digital media space which will house those jobs. some 700,000 square feet of new retail out of the 700 acres new redevelopment. this is the promise we made decades ago to people of the southeast sector. this is a promise we need to keep. even if the 49ers are not keeping their promise, we will keep hours. with or without the forty- niners, we will move forward. the product does include an

environmental report that is complete. the partner will put up $100 million. the infrastructure we are committed to. there's been a green light to allowing us to do a new stadium if the 49ers' choose to stay in the city that made them success -- the success they are today. we hope they will change their mind and do the right thing for the people of the city and the southeast sector. we're very excited and proud of the progress. i think the board of supervisors for their support and leadership in getting this over the final hurdle. there is one more vote. here is an opportunity to do twitter questions. i want to thank everyone for sending in their tweets. there are a number of them i am waiting to receive from my press

secretary. here they are, magically they appear in real time. this person wants me to talk in detail about two things, tackling homelessness and the revitalization effort to get rid of what he calls ugly faults. the mid market plant just got a big boost. the national endowment for the arts just awarded san francisco a quarter of a million dollars to invest in the arts as a lead commitment to the economic revitalization of the mid market area. it is along the lines of what was done in new york city around times square. it is the same idea being advanced to allow the arts to be the catalyst for revitalization. we're doing a new redevelopment plan there. the planning commission just supported new retail development. it is called city place.

it will be in the market area. we have the arts in store from programs. we do these new outdoor fairs. arts are the principal component of the catalyst for dramatic change. this is an organic process. a lot of improvements. we did the pilot on shutting down a portion of market and picard. a lot of exciting things are happening. a lot of promises have been made for many years, but we're seeing real progress being made. i want you to know this is a firm commitment of my to do everything i can before they get rid of me to get this over the hump. one of the big things was getting the nea grant. it was a very prestigious and competitive grant. it will allow us to leverage up to $1 million of other philanthropic money to continue to a dance that catalyst -- to

vance that catalyst. the arts are the ultimate opportunity to revitalize that market. the other question was about tackling the homeless. i am as committed to as any other human being to this issue. 12,000 people have gotten off the streets since i became mayor. we reduced the caseload by 84%. over 3000 human beings have the dignity of a place to call home. every day i go to my department heads trying to help people on city streets and corners. the challenges we do not have a static population. 12,000 was the total estimated population when i began. we did a survey last year that showed 44% of people have been out on the streets and sidewalks for less than 90 days. think about that. we recognize the problem is much bigger than us. it does not mean we do not want

to solve it for our partners and other counties. for that matter, the state and the nation. we do our fair share and a lot more than our fair share. we will continue. there's been a 40% decline in the number of people on the streets and sidewalks since i became mayor. we're now moving in this direction. we have a lot more work to do. we have a lot of chronic homeless that we're working to get into programs and services. we're trying to deal with the trans bay area. we have more than 100 people we're trying to provide for, been living around the terminal. that is now closing. and a temporary facility will be across the street the first week of august. we are committed to this. we will not walk away from this. i want you to know that i see what you see every day. i do my walks through the tenderloin every week. that is around market and

missionary. we do have work to do. my budget includes extending more housing than at any time and our history. we had the board of supervisors strong support to work out the budget agreement a baseline in terms of mental health funding, substance-abuse funding. that is important and significant to avoid those cuts. that is because of their good work and our ability to negotiate and work together through the budget process. we will keep fighting. we will keep doing more. by the way, that ties into adam amen. are the homeless any better off today than under willie brown? i think they are. there are still homeless, but there are thousands who are no longer homeless. their lives have changed dramatically. we have an enormous amount of more work to do. there is no having made it on

this topic. there is no place -- in this case, success is not a definition. success is not a place. success is a direction. as long as we're moving in the right direction and i think we are, we're making progress in changing lives. we're saving people's lives at the same time. the final question. this one is from ashel hashim. i apologize for the pronunciation. have you ever consider giving up office and starting a family band with your cousin johanna? an interesting question. he is referring to johanna newsom is turning out to be a superstar in this indy arena. she has got talent. i have none. it ain't ever gonna happen. it will never happen. this family tree, the apple

that collapsed on the bottom in terms of the voice is me. hers is a rising star. if you have not checked her out, check her out. she is pretty special. she is remarkable. i am proud to be her second cousin. she is becoming so very popular. i am happy to consider her first cousin. thank you for the tweets. i look forward to seeing you all next week. ♪

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>> i have 2 job titles. i'm manager of the tour program as well as i am the historyian of city hall. this building is multifaceted to say the very least it's a municipal building that operates the city and county of san francisco. this building was a dream that became a reality of a man by the

name of james junior elected mayor of san francisco in 1912. he didn't have a city hall because it was destroyed in the earth wake of 1906. construction began in april of 1913. in december 1915, the building was complete. it opened it's doors in january 1916. >> it's a wonderful experience to come to a building built like this. the building is built as a palace. not for a king or queen. it's built for all people. this building is beautiful art. those are architecture at the time when city hall was built, san francisco had an enormous

french population. therefore building a palace in the art tradition is not unusual. >> jimmie was an incredible individual he knew that san francisco had to regain it's place in the world. he decided to have the tallest dome built in the united states. it's now stands 307 feet 6 inches from the ground 40 feet taller than the united states capital. >> you could spend days going around the building and finding something new. the embellishment, the carvings, it represents commerce, navigation, all of the things that san francisco is famous for.

>> the wood you see in the board of supervisor's chambers is oak and all hand carved on site. interesting thing about the oak is there isn't anymore in the entire world. the floors in china was cleard and never replanted. if you look up at the seceiling you would believe that's hand kof carved out of wood and it is a cast plaster sealing and the only spanish design in an arts building. there are no records about how many people worked on this building. the workman